For decades, automotive designers have striven to design armrests which mitigate force input to a vehicle occupant in the event of a side impact against a door or other panel of the vehicle having an interior trim including a fixed armrest. U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,979 discloses an armrest in which a honeycombed member formed of metal, paper, or plastics, is filled with a material such as polyurethane-foamed filler material. A problem with the armrest of the '979 patent resides in its excessive weight and cost. U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,543 discloses an armrest having a number of vertical ribs, but lacking vertical rigidity imparted by the horizontal, vertically separated walls of an armrest according to the present invention.
A multi-function armrest according to the present invention solves the problems found in prior art armrests by providing an armrest which has excellent vertical stability and load bearing capability, while offering multi-function capability, as well as the ability to collapse in a controlled manner when impacting the torso of a vehicle occupant seated alongside the armrest, in the event of a lateral impact directed against the vehicle.